as part of a spread on young lovers in Paris and
marks the beginning of a period of international
recognition with exhibitions in New York and Chi-
cago. This was followed by a more difficult time with
the decline of the illustrated magazines in the 1960s,
and he returned to commercial photography.
By the early 1980s, however, his work was being
introduced to a new generation, mostly through
posters and postcards, which caught the contem-
porary mood of nostalgia for the romance of Paris.
This popularity also caused problems for Doisneau
since, under French law, an individual owns the
rights to their own image and he was sued for
damages on more than one occasion by people
claiming to be the subjects of his photographs. As
a result Doisneau had to admit to using both mod-
els and friends in his work and that not all his
photographs were as spontaneous or uncontrived
as they initially appear.
Doisneau’s work was part of a move away from
pictorialism; he was influenced by the modernist
and surrealist movements current in Paris in the
early twentieth century. He was also influenced by
his admiration for Brassaı ̈, his friendships with
other Paris-based photographers including Willy
Ronis, Izis, and Cartier-Bresson and by working
with writers like Blaise Cendrars and the poet Jac-
ques Prevert. Doisneau said that it was Prevert who
taught him to have confidence in photographing
the everyday scenes that most people ignored.
His work is both an affectionate portrait of
Paris, particularly its suburbs, and about those
very ordinary moments in life which, once caught
on film, allow space for the viewer’s imagination to
augment the story. His images capture the beauty
and absurdity of life. Reputedly a shy and modest
man, Doisneau had a subversive sense of humour
and a sharp perception of the ridiculous but his
satire is affectionate, never condemnatory. Al-
though he was politically left-wing, and both his
politics and his background shaped his interest in
working class life, his view is of the love and
humour, which make life pleasureable in the most
adverse of circumstances rather than the bleakness
of poverty. In this it is true to its period and,
although Doisneau is frequently accused of senti-
mentality, this writer would argue that his work is
an insider’s view of a disappearing place and time
and stands as one of the classic documentations of
twentieth century photography.
ShirleyReadSeealso:Brassaı ̈, Izis; Cartier-Bresson, Henri; Life
Magazine; Magnum Photos; Photography in
France; Street Photography
Biography
Born Gentilly, Paris, April 14, 1912. Father a plumber.
Studied engraving and lithography, L’Ecole Estienne
1925–1929. Worked at Atelier Ullmann, 1930. Assistant
to advertising photographer, Andre Vigneau, 1931. First
magazine story, 1932. Industrial photographer for
Renault, 1934–1939. Freelance reportage, submitted
work to Rapho Photo Agency, 1939. Continued to
photograph and forged documents for the Resistance,
1939–1945. Commissioned by Maximilian Vox to illus-
trateLes nouveaux destins de l’intelligence francaise,- Joined Alliance Photo press agency, 1945.
Returned to Rapho, 1946. Won the Prix Kodak, 1947.
Worked forVogue, 1949–1952. Worked with Maurice
Basquet on a book project, 1949–1951.La Banlieue de
Paris, text by Blaise Cendrars, 1949. Prix Nie ́pce, 1956.
Photographed in USA, 1960. Consultant to Expo ‘67,
Canada, 1967. Photographed in Soviet Union, 1968.
Toured French regional museums, 1971. FilmLe Paris
de Robert Doisneau, 1973. Rencontre d’Arles, 1975. Film
Trois Jours, Trois Photographies, 1979. Grand Prix
National de la Photographie, 1983. Chevalier of the
Legion of Honour, 1984. FilmBonjour, Monsieur Dois-
neau, 1992. Died, 1994.
Individual Exhibitions
1951 Le Monde des Spectacles; La Fontaine des Quatre
Saisons, Paris
1968 Robert Doisneau; Bibliothe`que nationale, Paris
1972 Robert Doisneau; George Eastman House, Rochester,
New York
1974 Robert Doisneau; Galerie municipale du Chaˆ teau-
d’Eau, Toulouse, France
Robert Doisneau; Nelson Gallery, University of Cali-
fornia, Davis, California
1975 Robert Doisneau; Muse ́e des Arts Decoratifs, Nantes,
France
Robert Doisneau; Muse ́e Reattu, Arles, France
Robert Doisneau; Witkin Gallery, New York
1976 Robert Doisneau; Hotel de Ville, Dieppe, France
1978 Robert Doisneau; Galerie Agathe, Gaillard, Paris
Robert Doisneau; Muse ́e Nice ́phore Nie ́pce, Chalon-
sur-Saoˆ ne, France
1979 Robert Doisneau; Muse ́e Euge`ne Boudin, Honfleur,
France
Les Passants qui Passent; Muse ́e national d’Art Mod-
erne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
1980 The Imaginery Photo Museum; Kunsthalle, Cologne
1982 Portraits; Fondation Nationale pour la Photographie,
Lyon, France, and travelled to Services Culturels de
l’Ambassade de France, New York
1986 Un Certain Robert Doisneau;Cre ́dit Foncier de France,
Paris, France
Portraits d’Ecrivains; Paris: Maison de Balzac
1987 St Denis; Muse ́e de St-Denis
Kyoto: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
1988 A Homage to Robert Doisneau; Villa Medicis, Rome
1989 Doisneau-Renault; Grande Halle de la Villette, Paris
1990 La Science de Doisneau; Le Jardin des Plantes, Paris
1992 Robert Doisneau: A Retrospective; Museum of Modern
Art and travelling, Oxford, England
1995 A Homage to Robert Doisneau; Galerie Municipale du
Chaˆ teau-d’Eau, Toulouse, FranceDOISNEAU, ROBERT